Chaos In Amn
by Dragonsey
Summary: Ranma/Baldur's Gate 2 x-over
1. Prologue

BG1/2: Chaos In Amn  
  
By Dragonsey  
  
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and it's characters are the property of Rumiko   
Takahashi, Viz Communications, and Shogakukan. Baldur's Gate and it's   
characters are the property of Bioware, Black Isle Studios, Interplay,   
and Wizards of the Coast. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
"...Chaos shall be sown in their footsteps..."   
so sayeth the wise Alaundo  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
They came in the night, dozens of elite assassins intent upon securing   
their prize. As her father hurried her down the halls of the family   
keep, she heard the sounds of combat in the distance. Surprised or   
not, the guards were putting up a stiff resistance. However, she was   
well aware that it would not be enough.  
  
"Just a little further." As she looked at her father, she once again   
bitterly regretted her actions. At first it had seemed so harmless, a   
bit of youthful rebellion against her father's authority. Never had   
she imagined that it would escalate to this!  
  
Now, this night, she was seeing her father with new eyes. She had   
been awoken by an assassin entering her very room, only to watch in   
awe as her father appeared, blade in hand, and dispatched the   
intruder. Quickly, he had gathered her up and bade her to follow.   
There had been no time to get dressed, no time to gather any   
belongings. The sight of her oh-so-proper father walking through the   
keep in his night clothes might have been humorous once, but not this   
night. If nothing else, the blood-stained blade in his hand dispelled   
any thought of mirth.  
  
As the sound of combat drew closer, she wondered if they would die   
this night. Weeks ago, when she had discovered what was truly going   
on, she had told her father everything, confessing every foolish deed.   
She had expected her father to cast her out, eliminating both the blot   
on his honor those actions had caused, and also eliminating the danger   
her continued presence brought to the keep. Instead, much to her   
surprise, he had forgiven her without reservation, and instead of   
casting her out, had reinforced the guard at the keep, putting them on   
a state of high alert. Those precautions were the only reason they   
were still alive, but they were being sorely tested this night.  
  
"Here we are."  
  
She was pulled from her thoughts as they arrived at her father's   
study. A small frown creased her face. Even she knew that this was   
not the most defensible place in the keep. Why had they come here?  
  
"Father, why-?" Her question was cut off as three figures seemed to   
detach themselves from the shadows. Her father immediately pushed her   
behind him and assumed a defensive stance.  
  
"It's no use, old man," one of the assassins said, "Let us have the girl   
and we'll let you live."  
  
Her father gave no reply. None was needed. All in the room knew the   
truth; even if she was turned over to them immediately, they would   
still kill all in the keep to preserve their secret.  
  
As one of the figures moved closer, her father was suddenly a blur of   
motion. Almost faster than the eye could follow, the razor-sharp   
blade in his hands flashed out, slashing through the throat of the   
nearest assassin, nearly beheading him. Cursing, the two remaining   
assassins closed with the skill of long practice. They had not   
expected him to be so skilled and one of their number had paid for   
their overconfidence, but they were professionals and wouldn't make   
that mistake again.  
  
As she watched the flashing blades, she was struck by how quiet the   
fight was. The bards had always sang of the clash of arms and the   
roar of battle. This fight was so silent it would probably go   
unnoticed by someone in the next room.  
  
"Aaah!" Another of the assassins was down, but in taking him out, her   
father had received a shallow cut in the side from the remaining one.   
Now, as he turned his full attention to the one who had wounded him,   
she saw that something was wrong. Given the skill he had shown   
fighting two at once, he should have had no problem dealing with the   
last one, despite his wound, but instead he seemed to be having   
trouble holding his own.  
  
"Give it up old man, you're already dead." taunted the last assassin.  
  
Poison! Her eyes flashed back to her father's wound, but his clothes   
were in the way. Still, it was obvious, his movements were far more   
sluggish than that one minor wound could account for. With a surge of   
grief and hopelessness she threw herself at the assassin.  
  
Her action shocked the assassin who automatically moved to strike her   
with his blade. At the last moment he hesitated, as his conscious   
mind overrode his instincts. He was under orders to bring her back   
alive. That hesitation was all her father needed. With a final   
mighty thrust, he slid his blade into the assassin's heart.  
  
He then collapsed to the floor beside the body of his foe.  
  
Moving quickly to her father's side, she reached for his bloodstained   
night shirt, carefully folding it back to expose the wound. What she   
saw made her breath catch with fear. Already the wound had an   
unhealthy gray-black tinge, and angry lines of red were rapidly   
spreading from its center.  
  
"No, Daughter," he said, grimacing in pain, "that can wait."  
  
When she opened her mouth to argue, her silenced her with his gaze.  
  
"It can wait. The wound itself is not serious, and neither of us can   
do anything about the poison. Our first priority is to get you out of   
here." Again stopping her incipient protest with his gaze, he   
continued. "Look in the bottom drawer of my desk and you will find a   
small wooden box. Bring that box to me."  
  
"I'm not leaving you, Father!" she cried.  
  
"Daughter, for once do as I say!" -cough-  
  
Chastised, remembering what her disobedience had caused, she hurried   
over to his desk. Returning with the box, she saw her father had   
retrieved his sword. The effort must have been immense, for he lay   
there, gasping for breath. Kneeling beside him, she gathered his head   
into her lap and tried to comfort him.  
  
"Here is the box, Father."  
  
"Good." He closed his eyes and gathered his remaining strength. The   
poison was working fast, already he could feel the numbness in his   
limbs, sense the coldness of approaching death. Looking up at his   
only child, he was struck again by her resemblance to her long dead   
mother. Perhaps that was why he had had such problems raising her.   
Too afraid of spoiling her, he had erred on the other extreme. Her   
rebellion against his rules was probably to be expected, Gods knew   
other children had done similar things. And, despite what she   
thought, the disaster currently befalling them wasn't her fault. In   
her youthful rebellion she had done nothing that had not been done many   
times before. Nothing that should have come to this. It wasn't her   
fault that others had taken advantage of her naivete and her actions   
and drew her unwittingly into a plot far deadlier that she had ever   
dreamed.  
  
"Open the box. Inside is a small bag of gems and an amulet. I had   
feared that we might be forced to flee, even if I hadn't expected it   
to happen so soon." -cough- "I commissioned the amulet from   
Alioreth."  
  
She gave a small gasp. Alioreth was the most powerful wizard in the   
area, and his prices reflected that.  
  
"It is already set. In the box is also a scroll with the command   
words for it. The first word will take us to a destination far, far   
away from here. You just need to put the amulet on, hold my hand, and   
say the word. Quickly now, we must get out of here before more find   
us!"  
  
Without hesitation, she did what he commanded. As soon as the word   
left her mouth they were engulfed in darkness. For an endless moment   
everything seemed to vanish, save each other. Together they seemed to   
be falling through a cold gray mist.  
  
And then it was over. Surrounding them was a forest glade, with no   
sign of anyone in sight.  
  
"It worked." He relaxed on seeing his new surroundings. Now his   
daughter had a chance at life.   
  
"Daughter, listen carefully." Waiting until he was sure he had her   
full attention, he continued.   
  
"The second command word will send you, and anyone in physical contact   
with you, back to the keep. Think carefully before returning! The   
amulet will only work for one round trip, and you know that those   
pursuing you will have the keep kept under observation until they   
locate you!" Seeing her nod he went on.  
  
"According to the wizard, we should be just west of a large city, so   
head into the rising sun and you should have no problem finding   
shelter." -cough- -cough-  
  
Unable to deny the reason for his growing pallor, she felt tears   
flowing down her cheeks. Doing her best to make him as comfortable as   
possible, she knelt and put his head in her lap, resting it next to   
the slight bulge of her stomach.  
  
"Oh Daddy, I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!"  
  
As the darkness settled in, he gazed for one last time at his   
daughter.  
  
"Daughter, it is NOT your fault!" With a far-away smile he continued   
"...and its been so long since you've called me 'Daddy'. But now you   
must be strong. Take good care of yourself... ...and take good care   
of my grandchild. I love you, Nodoka."  
  
"I love you too, Daddy!"  
  
  
  
The morning sun was just starting to warm the air as she stepped out   
of the forest and regarded the city with wondering eyes. Never had   
she seen one so large! For a moment she was intimidated, but she   
threw off her fears and walked boldly on.  
  
She had buried her father the best she could. Now she had to find a   
safe haven for herself and her future child. Stroking the bundle that   
held her father's sword, she reached another decision. If those   
pursuing ever found them, fighting skills would be essential. Her   
child would need to learn how to fight. She would do all she could to   
help her child avoid the destiny _they_ had planned. Whatever   
sacrifice was needed, she would make it.  
  
Whatever was necessary.  
  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
17 years later...  
  
  
Watching...  
  
Waiting...  
  
  
He sat in his chair, never stirring, almost one with the shadows.  
  
Another candle flickered and died, increasing the shadows surrounding   
him. He never noticed. The room around him was tastefully furnished,   
and might have been more welcoming in better light, but the light of   
the two remaining candles filled it with an ominous gloom. A gloom   
that was only intensified by the third remaining source of light.  
  
The man never wavered in his concentration on the item before him.   
Fully two feet in diameter, the ball of crystal-clear glass glowed in   
the dim light. Held in place on a table that resembled nothing so   
much as a grasping claw, it's glow only added to the malevolent   
atmosphere in the room. Deep within the globe, images flickered.   
Scenes of lands far and near. Places and people both human and... not.   
Events great and small. None held his interest for long.  
  
Hour after hour, day after day, he had gazed into the crystal, seeking   
the means to achieve his goal, brooding over this unexpected delay in   
his plans. Months of observation and study, planning and preparation,   
all for nothing! It was as if the Gods were working against him!  
  
Mirthlessly, he smiled at the thought. Truly, there were gods who   
were probably working to thwart him. That was why he had chosen those   
two in particular. Because, at least for the immediate future, the   
Gods themselves were limited in how much they could do to interfere   
with those two. He had been watching as they grew in power, as the   
confrontation between them drew to a climax, and his forces had been   
ready to claim the victor. And then the two idiots had to go and ruin   
everything by killing each other!  
  
Had he been another man, he might have given up. Had he been another,   
the loss of both choices might have sent him into despair. Being who   
he was, he instead calmly went back to his crystal ball and began to   
scry, searching for a replacement with a patience bordering on   
inhuman. There were possibilities near at hand, however all except a   
handful were far below those he had chosen, and that handful was under   
the protection of one he did not -yet- wish to challenge.  
  
Finally, his patience was rewarded. Far away, atop a mountain in a   
dimension far removed from his own, a previously undetected spark of   
power blossomed to life, attracting his attention. He focused on it,   
bending his mind and skills toward measuring and analyzing it. At   
first his interest was casual, many times he had investigated such   
events, never yet had he found what he desired. However, this time   
proved to be different. This time, the more he watched, the more he   
learned, the more interested he became. The power was a type with   
which he was extremely familiar, and he briefly wondered what it was   
doing way over there. As he took its measure, he also wondered how it   
had hidden from his searches so long.  
  
When he was done he was, well... not happy, happiness was an emotion   
he no longer even remembered feeling, but pleased. Very pleased.   
This one was at least as suitable as those he had lost. As the surge   
of power started to fade, he placed a mystic tag on it, lest it be   
lost once again.  
  
Over the following weeks, he set in motion all that was necessary to   
achieve his goal. Hours, eventually stretching into days, were spent   
homing in on the source of the power he had sensed. It proved to be   
an unexpectedly difficult task. Something was interfering with his   
scrying. Even with the tag he found it almost impossible to locate   
the source. It was not an intentional defense formed by the one he   
sought, he would have recognized that. It was almost as if the power   
itself was interfering, and that was most unusual.  
  
Others might have become frustrated or angry. He merely became more   
and more pleased. Sometimes the best requires the most effort... and   
he was one who never settled for second best.  
  
Finally all was in place. At last, his goal was in reach.  
  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
  
Watching...  
  
Waiting...  
  
  
She stood alone on an endless plain, surrounded by formless chaos.  
  
For years she had kept watch, staring off into the horizon at things   
only she could see. With a patience no mortal could duplicate, she   
maintained her vigil.  
  
Finally, with what might have been a sigh, she relaxed her watch. Had   
anyone been around, they might have heard her deeply resonant voice   
say "And so it begins."  
  
Drawing herself up, she teleported to... someplace else.  
  
Respectfully, she reported "My Lord, the time is at hand."  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Author's Notes: Well, if you haven't guessed, there will be quite a   
few spoilers for Baldur's Gate 2 in this fic. Be advised.  
  
The beginning of this fic turned out to be rather dark, because that's   
the only way I could set up this crossover. I hope to lighten the   
tone as the story progresses, but its going to stay fairly close to   
the BG2 storyline, so don't expect screwball comedy. Do not, however,   
expect an exact retelling of BG2. The basic events will be familiar,   
but I intend for Ranma's presence to significantly alter the course   
of certain events. 


	2. A Rude Awakening

BG1/2: Chaos In Amn  
  
By Dragonsey  
  
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and it's characters are the property of Rumiko   
Takahashi, Viz Communications, and Shogakukan. Baldur's Gate and it's   
characters are the property of Bioware, Black Isle Studios, Interplay,   
and Wizards of the Coast. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
  
  
Chapter 1 - A Rude Awakening  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
...Pain...  
  
  
...Pain, and memories of pain...  
  
  
  
Slowly, ever so slowly, the fleeting memories gained enough coherence   
to be recognizable.  
  
  
...a peaceful valley full of springs...  
  
  
...three girls looking at him with varying expressions of shock and   
anger...  
  
  
...a panda throwing him into a pond...  
  
  
...a lavender-haired girl turning into a c-c-cat...  
  
  
...a cute girl serving him okonomiyaki...  
  
  
...a forest filled with giant animals...  
  
  
  
The memories were coming faster now, as they approach the more recent   
past.  
  
  
...a winged man, wreathed in flame, fighting him on a mountain top...  
  
...feeling frustration as attack after attack was shrugged off, either   
completely ineffective or, if it did manage to injure his foe,   
watching as his opponent effortlessly regenerated, healing his wounds   
in seconds...  
  
...knowing that time was running out. Reaching within himself for all   
his remaining energy, desperately hoping that somehow he would find a   
way to prevail...  
  
...and then the shock as -something-, some barrier in his soul, seemed   
to give way. Feeling seemingly endless power flow into his body,   
permeating his very being. Suddenly he knew exactly what to do to   
bring the fight to an end. Bloodlust filled him as he focused on   
Saffron. Surprise and terror filled his enemy's face as he unleashed   
the power...  
  
...sadness as he felt the life slip from the girl in his arms.   
Confused as his emotions to her were, her impending death filled him   
with sorrow. As her life slipped away, the power within him responded   
to his desire. With senses he never even knew existed, he watched the   
power catch her spirit and return it to her body. With a final surge,   
it reestablished the ties between body and soul, and healed the damage   
her body had suffered...  
  
  
  
The next set of memories were interwoven with heartache and pain.  
  
...looking on the remains of Saffron and remembering with horror how   
much he had _enjoyed_ killing him. Remembering that, at the end, he   
had not even given a thought to sparing Saffron, but instead had hit   
him with blow after blow, until he was sure his enemy was completely   
destroyed...  
  
...seeing the Phoenix people regard him with fear and horror as they   
came for the body of their lord...  
  
...though she tried to hide it, catching that same fear mirrored in   
Akane's eyes when she thought he wasn't looking...  
  
...the failed wedding. Furious at the unprovoked attacks endangering   
all those present, he felt the power again swell up within him. All   
action stopped as, just for a moment, he let the power and bloodlust   
show...  
  
  
  
The final memories came fast and furious.  
  
...feeling the _desire_ to kill those before him, as the power within   
struggled to break free. Glancing down and noting with surprise that   
he held his mother's katana unsheathed in his hands...  
  
...seeing the fear on the faces of those present; Ukyou, Shampoo,   
Ryouga, Kuno; even Nabiki and Kasumi drew away from his wrath. Worse,   
seeing the fear and horror appear on his mother's face...  
  
...most heart-wrenching, the way Akane shrank away from him, a look of   
sheer terror reflected in her eyes...  
  
...running from the dojo, shivering with horror at the thought of what   
he had nearly done, what he might be becoming...  
  
...sitting in his favorite spot under the bridge, unable to face the   
disgust of those he loved, the horror of _wanting_ to kill all who   
opposed him, even those he counted as friends, as family...  
  
...feeling a sense of danger as a mist suddenly blanketed the area.   
Sensing attackers in the mist but being unable to effectively fight,   
as something touched his mind, interfering with his thoughts...  
  
...disjointed images of captivity and torture. Of sights too   
disgusting to think of and of pain nearly too overwhelming to bear.   
Through it all, a face, the face of one who watches all these things   
with an inhumanly calm interest...  
  
  
"Aagh!" As he finally struggled his way to consciousness, Ranma   
renewed his acquaintance with his bruised and battered body. Gritting   
his teeth against the pain, he struggled to his feet and looked   
around.  
  
The first thing he noticed was the cage around him. Barely three feet   
wide and just tall enough to let him stand, it had an elusive   
familiarity, as if he had been in it for a while. Beyond the bars of   
his enclosure there stretched a room that looked like a cross between   
a dungeon and a chemical factory. The walls were lined with pipes of   
various sizes, here and there strange machines were tucked into deep   
alcoves, but the other features of the room demanded more attention.   
Cages, similar to the one holding him except empty or, worse, filled   
with the decaying corpse of their previous occupant, filled the room.   
From the ceiling hung chains that ended in manacles or sharp devices   
of a more sinister nature.  
  
"Ahhh, the child of Bhaal has awoken."  
  
Ranma jerked in surprise. He must be more out of it than he realized.   
Standing in front of his cage, studying him with calm detachment,   
was...HIM.  
  
Even with the difficulty he was having thinking straight, he   
recognized the one before him. Ranma didn't know his name, but he   
knew that this was the one responsible for bringing him here. Was the   
one responsible for the wounds covering his body.  
  
"It is time for more... experiments." The man's voice was cold, oh so   
very cold. It filled Ranma's mind with half-remembered memories of   
endless hours of pain.  
  
Ranma still wasn't thinking clearly, but he instinctively braced   
himself, preparing to attack as soon as the man opened the cage door.   
The man seemed to notice this, and smiled derisively. Instead of   
opening the cage, he began chanting and making a series of gestures   
with his hands. Any questions Ranma may have had over what he was   
doing were answered when a bolt of energy shot from his hands,   
impacting painfully on Ranma's chest and driving him to his knees.  
  
"The pain will only be passing, you should survive the process."  
  
The next few minutes were ones Ranma would just as soon forget as   
spell after spell was directed at him. Fire, lightning, cold, and   
bolts of pure energy brought an unending string of pain. It was all   
Ranma could do to keep from crying out, but he was determined not to   
give his tormenter that satisfaction. When the wizard (as Ranma now   
rightly labeled him) paused for a moment, Ranma drew himself painfully   
up and stared defiantly.  
  
"Interesting. You have much untapped power." He seemed amused at   
Ranma's defiance. "Do you even realize your potential?"  
  
Heavy footsteps approached, attracting the mage's attention.   
Breathing heavily, Ranma used the brief respite to gather his   
strength. Again, he attempted to clear his mind of the fog that   
seemed to cover it.  
  
"More intruders have entered the complex, Master." A deep voice said.  
  
Ranma looked up at the speaker, and his mouth dropped open in shock.   
Standing beside the wizard was a giant. Over eight feet tall and   
massively built, it loomed over its master. 'It' because, even at a   
glance, Ranma doubted that this was a living thing. While it was   
human shaped, it bore more resemblance to a child's mud sculpture   
than to a man. Its features were crude and simple and it seemed   
to be made entirely out of mud.  
  
"They act sooner than we had anticipated! No matter, they will prove   
only a slight delay."  
  
With a gesture, the wizard dismissed the creature. As it trundled   
off, the mage began another spell. Braced for further pain, Ranma was   
relieved, and a bit surprised, when the wizard instead vanished before   
his eyes.  
  
Alone again, Ranma dropped to his knees, his strength nearly spent.   
Slowly, he took stock of his situation. Escape was the obvious goal,   
but at the moment he was in no condition to walk, much less break the   
lock on his cage door. In order to successfully escape, he needed to   
clear his mind and gather his strength. Wincing with pain, he assumed   
a lotus position. Meditation wasn't something he excelled at, his   
father had dismissed it as a tool for beginners, but he had been   
trained at various monasteries in his youth, and he still remembered   
those lessons. And it was the fastest way to clear the mind.   
Following the lessons taught him years before, Ranma slipped into a   
meditative trance, focusing on clearing his mind and gathering his   
energy. Had anyone been watching, they would have seen a faint blue   
glow surround the wounded martial artist.  
  
------  
  
The sound of battle and rapidly approaching footsteps pulled him from   
his trance. The fog covering his thoughts was all but gone, and Ranma   
thought the sounds were coming from a darkened doorway on the far end   
of the room. Sure enough, moments later a man came running in. One   
glance was enough to determine that this was not his captor and that  
whoever the stranger was, he was running as if a horde of demons   
were after him. Before the man could make it halfway across the   
chamber, a sphere of multi-colored energy shot from the darkened   
doorway and hit him squarely in the back. Upon impact it expanded in   
size until it completely engulfed its target.  
  
"Aghhh--!" The cry cut off suddenly. With a flash, the sphere   
vanished, leaving nothing behind but a handful of dust. Blinking,   
Ranma felt a cold chill as he realized that, whoever his captor was,   
he was playing for keeps.  
  
Quickly assessing himself, Ranma was pleased with the results of the   
meditation. For the first time since he was brought to this place,   
the fog was gone from his thoughts and his body was in decent shape.   
Okay, so it felt like he had just had a marathon fight with Ryouga,   
Kuno, Mousse, _and_ Herb, but still, it would do. Ranma pulled back   
his fist to shatter the lock, and paused for a moment.   
  
While he was known for occasionally (some would say often) acting   
without thought, Ranma did have a finely honed tactical sense.   
Whoever had disintegrated that man had to have been close by. If it   
was the wizard (and who else could it be?), he would surely hear the   
noise of Ranma's escape. Ranma was confident that he could best   
anyone in a straight-up fight, but he didn't like magic and this   
wizard had already shown that he didn't fight fair. He wanted to face   
the wizard on his own terms, not get caught by surprise while breaking   
out of a cage.   
  
Ranma already wasn't in the best of shape, so a more prudent course   
was called for. Best to wait a few minutes. From the sound of it,   
the fight was moving away from this area, and soon it would be far   
enough away for Ranma to escape without alerting the participants.   
Five minutes. He would meditate for five more minutes and then   
escape. Sinking back into a lotus position, he closed his eyes once   
more.  
  
Four minutes later, he caught the sound of someone approaching.   
Thinking quickly, he didn't move. This was his only chance. As soon   
as the person moved on, he would escape. If it turned out to be the   
wizard or another jailer, he would attack. Mentally he planned an   
attack, one that would shatter the lock and have him out of the cage   
and on his opponents before they even realized he had moved. With   
every muscle ready for immediate action, he tracked the person's   
footsteps until they came to a stop just outside his cage.  
  
'This is it' he thought and started to move.  
  
"Wake up you! Wake up! Come on, we have to get out of here!"  
  
The voice came just as he started to rise. It was so unexpected that   
he managed to trip himself up and found himself sprawled on the floor   
of his cage.  
  
"Oww." Opening his eyes he saw a girl about his own age. She had   
reddish hair cut about the same length as Nabiki's and a cute face   
marred only slightly by a scar over one eye ...and by the haunted look   
in her eyes.  
  
"Who... who are you?"   
  
  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
For those wondering about the Nerima crew's reactions, remember that   
this was how Ranma perceived it. Sometime in the next few chapters   
I'll switch back to Nerima and show their side of it, plus what   
happens in the aftermath of Ranma's kidnapping.  
  
I'm still debating on bringing members of the Nerima crew over to Amn.   
Sooner or later Nodoka will show up (when she figures out where he is)   
but I am undecided on whether I want anyone else to accompany her.  
  
My main problem with using the Nerima crew is fitting the girls into   
the storyline while remaining (mostly) true to the Baldur's Gate   
story. The only one that I have so far been able to work in is   
Shampoo, and I'm not sure if I really want to include her. 


End file.
